Exodus 9:24

ESV There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

NIV hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.

NASB So there was hail, and fire flashing intermittently in the midst of the hail, which was very heavy, such as had not occurred in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

CSB The hail, with lightning flashing through it, was so severe that nothing like it had occurred in the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.

NLT Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that, with such devastating hail and continuous lightning.

KJV So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

NKJV So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

What does Exodus 9:24 mean?

In the Old Testament, lightning is described with the word berāqim', but it can also be referenced using the term for "fire," which is ēs'. Here, the Hebrew says this "fire" was "flashing," using an expression implying clinging or joining. This means the epic hailstorm sent by God (Exodus 9:23) was a true "storm," not merely a torrent of ice (Exodus 9:28).

As predicted, the storm is like nothing the nation of Egypt had ever seen (Exodus 9:18). Hail had fallen there before; even desert climates can experience hailstorms, though they are rare. The Egyptians were a literate people and kept records of past events. The educated among the Egyptians would find nothing in past records to compare with this. That lack of precedent may be why some refused to believe the warning given before the hailstorm occurred (Exodus 9:19–21).

Scripture gives no measurement for these hailstones as in some other passages (Revelation 16:21). But the barrage seems "heavy" both in terms of volume and in the size of the hail. Hailstones can deal severe injuries when they reach the width of an adult's thumb. Even in the middle east, recorded hailstorms have included chunks of ice the size of a hand. At that bulk, or even larger, and in large volumes, this barrage would have pulverized unprotected people, plants, and animals (Exodus 9:25, 31).

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